Locals seek resolution in Banteay Meanchey land dispute

Protesters descended on Banteay Meanchey Provincial Hall yesterday to seek the governor’s intervention in a nearly decade-old land dispute.

The disputants come from two communes in Thma Puok district, where they claim 293 hectares of communal land was poached from them by a company known as Ly Sam An in 2007, according to community representative Ta Mab.

“We had lived there for nearly 10 years, we planted and farmed; then the company took our land in 2007. We filed complaints with the authorities in the past, but until now, there has been no solution, and we can’t take it anymore, so we came to the provincial hall to ask for their intervention in our case,” Mab said, adding that none of them possessed land titles.

Provincial Governor Suon Bover said yesterday he received their complaints and instructed them not to return home until Friday, when he will summon both the protesters and the company for a meeting.